Identifier

etd-04222010-022409

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Human Resource Education and Workforce Development

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the academic achievement, as measured by scores on the English and math portions of the Graduate Exit Examination (GEE), of public high school students in Louisiana by whether or not they were identified as business education students. The GEE is a high-stakes test that is administered to high school students in Louisiana. Students must pass specific portions of the test to obtain a diploma. Academic achievement data on the GEE was obtained from the Louisiana Department of Education. The sample for the study was all 10th and 11th grade students enrolled in public high schools in Louisiana during the 2008-2009 school year who were initial testers and who were not classified as “special education,” “504,” or “Limited English Proficiency.” Data acquired from the Louisiana Department of Education was recorded in a computerized recording document. Academic achievement, as measured by math and English scores on the GEE, was described and correlated with selected demographic characteristics. In addition, achievement was compared by whether or not the students were classified as a business education student. Demographic findings of the study showed that the largest groups of subjects were of the White race and female gender. In addition, more students were found to be in the socioeconomic group that was defined by receiving free lunch in school. Findings of the study indicated that business education students scored higher than non-business education students on all math and English measures examined. Additionally, business education students were found to have achieved at higher GEE classifications than non-business education students in both English and math areas. The researcher concluded that business education students perform better academically than non-business education students. Another conclusion of the study was that business education is no longer a female dominated program. The researcher recommended that state level administrators of educational programs in Louisiana develop new courses that would integrate academics and business education courses that would be approved for high school graduation credit. Some of these courses might include: business technical writing, applied mathematics, applied technology, research in careers and math for business decisions.

Date

2010

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Burnett, Michael F.

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.862

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